The Patriots are moving on to the AFC Championship.
Led by a strong defensive performance, New England defeated Houston 28-16 to reach the club’s first conference championship game since the 2018 season.
New England’s defense picked off Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud four times — all in the first half — and ended up inducing five total turnovers, as running back Woody Marks fumbled early in the third quarter.
Stroud performed so poorly in the first half, it seemed like there should be some question as to whether or not he would be replaced by backup Davis Mills. But Stroud finished the game at QB, completing 20-of-47 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown and his four interceptions.
Part of the issue for Stroud was that the Texans didn’t have any semblance of a run game. Marks had just 17 yards on 14 carries while Nick Chubb ran for 14 on four attempts.
With the five takeaways, the Patriots didn’t have to do as much offensively. But even as Drake Maye was strip-sacked three times, he only lost one fumble on them. He lost another on a run play in the first half.
Maye finished the contest 16-of-27 for 179 yards with three touchdowns and an interception that came on a Hail Mary to end the second quarter.
Kayshon Boutte helped put the game away with his 32-yard, one-handed touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter to put the Patriots up by 12 points with 12:58 left in the contest. He finished the game with three catches for 75 yards.
Rhamondre Stevenson led with 70 yards on 16 carries while TreVeyon Henderson had 25 yards on 12 carries.
The Patriots will be on the road next weekend to play the Broncos for the right to advance to Super Bowl LX. Given Bo Nix’s ankle injury suffered at the end of Saturday’s win, New England is likely to be favored for the game.
The Texans narrowed the Patriots’ lead to 21-16 with a pair of field goals in the third quarter.
But New England has gone back up by two possessions with a big touchdown catch from Kayshon Boutte.
The wideout made a one-handed catch on the right side of the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots up 28-16 with 12:58 left in the fourth quarter.
It’s been a tough game for quarterback Drake Maye against Houston’s vaunted defense. But on third-and-4 from the Texans’ 32, Maye dropped back and had Boutte streaking down the right side. Boutte was able to beat the one-on-one coverage from cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., maintaining possession as he slid out of bounds on the slick turf.
It was just the second third-down conversion of the game for New England, as the club hadn’t had one in the second half to that point.
Maye is 15-of-24 passing for 165 yards with three touchdowns, one interception, and two lost fumbles.
The Patriots’ defense picked up four interceptions off of C.J. Stroud in the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s divisional-round matchup against the Texans, helping power New England to a 21-10 halftime lead.
Stroud’s interceptions came in all shapes and sizes, with Marcus Jones returning a particularly bad throw for a 26-yard pick-six early in the second quarter.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the Texans elected to put Davis Mills on the field at quarterback in the second half, as Stroud ended the first 30 minutes 10-of-26 for 124 yards with one touchdown and four picks.
Carlton Davis had two interceptions and Craig Woodson had the other off of Stroud.
On the other side, Drake Maye has been lucky that the Patriots recovered two of his three fumbles in the first half. Maye was strip-sacked twice — once in the first quarter and once late in the second quarter — with left tackle Will Campbell picking up the loose ball each time. But when Maye ran it up the middle on what appeared to be a broken play, the Texans were able to pick it up and get it in the end zone for their lone touchdown of the first half.
At that point, C.J. Stroud was able to hit Christian Kirk for a 10-yard touchdown, which at the time gave Houston a 10-7 advantage.
Neither the Patriots nor the Texans were able to generate much offense. Houston had nine first downs and 132 total yards, going 4-of-9 on third down. But the club’s four turnovers were killer in the first half.
On the other side, New England has just six first downs, 134 yards, and is 1-of-8 on third down. Maye finished the first half 10-of-19 for 117 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Maye’s pick came on the last play of the half on a Hail Mary.
Houston will receive the second-half kickoff.
The injuries are piling up for the Texans in the first half of Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots, as New England has taken a 21-10 lead in the second quarter.
Houston running back Woody Marks is questionable to return with a shoulder injury suffered during the second quarter.
Marks has rushed for 7 yards on eight attempts, signifying the difficulty Houston has had trying to move the football.
He’s far from the only injury in the first half of this game. Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard had to exit the contest after going down midway through the second quarter.
Tight end Dalton Schultz has also been downgraded to out with his calf injury suffered in the first quarter.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson is questionable to return with an eye injury. Patriots safety Craig Woodson was questionable due to a concussion check, but has returned to the game.
New England has increased its lead with Drake Maye’s second touchdown of the first half. He hit Stefon Diggs over the middle for a 7-yard score to put the Patriots up 21-10 with 3:12 left in the second quarter.
UPDATE 4:30 p.m. ET: Marks has returned to the game for Houston.
The Patriots have gotten back ahead of the Texans after scoring a defensive touchdown.
Cornerback Marcus Jones intercepted an ill-advised pass from C.J. Stroud and returned it for a 26-yard pick-six.
On first-and-10 from Houston’s 25, Stroud was heavily pressured and hit by K’Lavon Chaisson. Stroud made a bad decision to let the ball go, and it went straight up before Jones came down with the interception — Stroud’s second of the contest.
From there, Jones darted toward the sideline and got to the end zone for the defensive score.
Stroud is now 9-of-17 for 108 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
